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(No Model) 2 Sheets8heet 1.

H.GOETOHIU S & J. 0,. SHULTS,

REFRIGERATOR.

No. 265,494. Patented Oct. 3,1882

2Shaets-Sheet 2.,

(-No Model.)

G. H. GOETGHI'US &- J. G.- SHULTS.

REFRIGERATOR.

Patented Oct. 3, 1882.

UNTTED STATES PATENT Trice.

GEORGE H. GOETGHIUS AND JOHN (J. SHULTS, OF LITTLE FALLS, N. Y.

REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 265,494, dated October 3, 1882.

Application filed June 11, 1880. Renewed April 13, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE H. GoEr- GHIUS and JOHN G. SHULTs, citizens of the United States, residing at Little Falls, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improvementin that class of refrigerators in which the ice-receptacle is placed at or near the top of the refrigerating-chamber, and is intended to prevent the free entrance of external air into the chamber when the lower doors are opened, thus preventing the displacement of the cold air in the refrigerating-chamber by a higher temperature, it being well known that cold airhas a tendency to sink, while warm or heated air rises. Therefore when doors in the lower part of the refrigerator are opened the cold air, unless prevented, will tlow out and its place be supplied by the warmer external air, which, as air is but a slow conductor of heat, is a long time in being cooled down to the proper tem- I perature.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the inner doors or valves that are placed between the various compartments of a refrigerator, so that communication through the same may be cut oil when the outer doors are opened, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an interior view, the back being removed. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line was of Fig. 2. Figs.4cand5are enlarged detail views, showing the method of arranging the valves and their operating mechanism.

The frame of this refrigerator consists in the ordinary chest-like chamber, A, the walls of which are preferably of wood, as being an excellent non-conductor, and may be lined with sheet-zinc or other metallic lining which shall (No model.)

presenta smooth non-absorbent surface. In the upper part of this chamberA is placed the ice rack or receiver B, preferably constructed with a tight sheet-mctal-covered bottom and open slat-work sides, which latter allow a free passage to the air cooled by contact with the ice in the rack to pass to other parts of the chamber unless such passage is prevented by the closure of the semi-rotating valves a a, which surround the icereceptaele upon two or more sides, and are pivoted in the side walls of the refrigerator in the same manner as the slats ofan ordinary window-blind. At the adjacent angles the pivots of the valves a are provided with bevel-gears a a, so that they move simultaneously. A rock-shaft, l), is pivoted across the chamber at a point just above the door C. To the arm 0 of this rock-shaftisconnected one end of the rod d, the upper end of' which is attached to the valve or. Projecting downwardly from the rook-shaft b is a curved arm, 0, so locatedthat when the door 0 is closed the rock-shalt will partially rotate and cause the rod (1 to open the valves a a, thus allowing free communication between the air surrounding the icerack and the lower part of the chamber. In order to make this closing apparatus act quickly and with certainty, a weight, (1, may be attached to the end of the arm 0 to press upon the door, so that the slightest movementot' thelatter is atonoe communicated to the valves to a.

Additional chambers D may be formed at the sides of the main chamber A and separated therefrom by the swinging valves 9.9. These valves are pivoted at their ends and near their upper edges, so that when they hang in nearly a vertical position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, they form a partition between the chambers, but when raised into the horizontal position by the rod h, which is attached to their free edges, they allow free communication between the two chambers A and I). In order to operate these swinging valves, an arm or lever, 2 is pivoted to one end of the chamber in such a position that when the cover D of the box or chamber D is closed it will rest upon the outer curved end of the lever, the opposite end of whichraises the valves 9 g, as shown in Fig. 1; but

IOO

when the cover D is lifted it no longer rests upon the lever, and consequently the valves are not held open, but close by their own gravity, cutting off all communication between the chambers.

Ve are aware that communication between the chambers 0r compartments ofa refrigerator has heretofore been opened and closed by means of swinging valves or traps that are connected by a rod and operated by a straight sliding lever the end of which comes in contact with the outer door of the refrigerator when closed. This, however, we do not claim. In the form of construction just referred to the straight lever is not pivoted, but slides horizontally in supporting loops or brackets, so that it will only operate the inner valves when they are placed nearly or quitein a parallel line with theouter door. By giving the operating-lever a curved form, however, and securing it on a pivot, so that it will swing or oscillate freely, as shown in the drawings, it will operate the valves by coming in contact with the outer door or cover, whether the latter is hung in a vertical posi tion, as an ordinary door, or so as to rest at an angle when closed.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

1. In a refrigerator, the combination, with the chamber A and ice-rack B, of the semi-rotating valves 0. at, having bevel-gears a a, the rod (1, weight (1, rock-shaft 1), arms 0 e, and door 0, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a refrigerator, the combination of the chambers A D, swinging valves connecting-rod h,pivoted lever Land cover .l),allconstructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof we atlix our sigratures in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE G. GOETOI'IIUS. JOHN G. SHULTS.

\Vitnesses:

\VATIS 'l. Looms, E. H. SMITH. 

